Verity Wootton spent 7 days exploring the country and she totally fell in love.
There’s so much to see and explore and below she shares the best sites you should definitely check out when visiting Malta.
1. Valletta
The magnificent capital of Valletta, is bursting at the seams with outstanding architecture, winding streets, pavement coffee shops and history with every corner you turn.
Whilst in Valletta you can easily get distracted by the hustle of bustle of this city especially on cruise docking day when the streets are filled with day trippers but I would recommend the following sites: St John’s Cathedral is a must, gloriously decorated with a wealth of history for you to discover the home of the knights.
Thinking about history why not join a showing of Malta 4D experience, this will swallow you into the screen and take you back through time, a very fun why to experience history.
There are so many restaurants in Valletta for all budgets where you can sample the tastiest foods to eat in Malta.
2. Mdina & Rabat
Mdina also known as the Silent City is a stunning walled city best experienced during a night tour, where silence can really be appreciated giving you goose bumps whilst exploring the narrow winding streets and ancient nobles buildings.
Whilst in this area I would definitely recommend stepping outside of Mdina into Rabat where you will find St Pauls Catacombs and war shelters. These are a fantastic escape during mid-day from the burning sun and will leave you utterly speechless all for just €5.
3. Marsaxlokk
The best day to explore this ancient fishing village is on a Sunday, the market that takes over on this day is an assault on your senses, with colourful oversized fruit, local arts and crafts for sale and the main feature is the fish! With restaurants along the bay plentiful it’s a great opportunity to taste some of the local produce in the sunshine.
4. Prehistoric Temples of Hagar Qim
These temples date back to c. 3600 - 3200 BC, standing in a breath taking location on a hilltop overlooking the sea, I’ll be honest it gets rather hot exploring these temples but they are so worth it, so grab a bottle of water and get out there with your audio guide.
You’ll be amazed at the size of the stone, the condition that they are in and the initiative technology being used to preserve this history for the future.
5. Gozo
The sister island to Malta - this smaller, quieter and less populated island is an easy trip on a ferry either independently or with a coach tour to make the most of your time once you arrive.
Amongst the best things to see in Gozo include the world famous Azure Window, a highly recommended visit and whilst you’re there why not get on a local fisherman’s boat to discover the caves in amazing detail. Whilst on the island, I’d recommend taking the time to visit Ġgantija, the oldest temples in the world.
Plan a Trip to Malta
Would I go back? Tomorrow if I could. Despite having explored a large amount of well-known sites on the island, there are plenty more off the beaten track that should be explored and I look forward to heading back here again to adventure a little more.
By Verity Wootton
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